In 1945, then US President Harry S. Truman, guided by his Europhile Secretary of State Dean Acheson, reversed former President Franklin D. Roosevelt&rsquo;s correct policy of aligning the US in Asia with Asians, rather than with their European colonizers. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/19 19:23:29

In an era of increased resource competition, the oil, natural gas and other minerals under the South China Sea's seabed, as well as control of their sea lanes, have become spectacular prizes sought by nations with competing territorial claims to them. With the US, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and India all taking aggressive actions (military and/or economic and diplomatic), the dangers of miscalculation leading to disastrous armed conflict have arisen. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/19 22:06:47

Global Times articles on Sino-Vietnamese conflict over the South China Sea were by far its most commented online during 2011. Other most commented articles this year also relate to China&rsquo;s strategy in dealing with surrounding countries, with US return to Asia as a macro-background. What are China&rsquo;s best options to handle the dispute, which looks set to continue for years to come? Why is the issue so heated? Global Times asked three experts to give their opinions on this issue. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/19 19:23:28

The really tough challenge for the Ministry of Railways (MOR) at the moment is not dealing with last year&rsquo;s train crash in Wenzhou. Liu Zhijun, the former head of the MOR who faces corruption charges, has to take responsibility for the tragedy, and the related people are punished, then the whole thing can be regarded as history. Source: Global Times | 2012/1/8 18:25:00

The goals of the authorities to promote Putonghua by issuing the new policy are fundamentally good. The popularity of Putonghua is due to its convenience for communication, which clears up the obstacles between people from different areas. Promoting Putonghua in televisions and radio programs is aimed at helping local citizens improve their communication skills and better understand the culture behind the language. For immigrants who just left hometowns, the Putonghua programs makeit easy for them to get information and reduce the feeling of isolation. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/27 20:40:00

It is not the first time that the use of Putonghua has been mandated in Guangdong Province. It is natural for natives of Guangdong to resist the new policy. They use their mother tongue every day, and it gives them a sense of belonging and identity. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/27 20:38:28

The last televised debate among the three candidates for the upcoming Taiwanese leadership elections was held on Saturday in Taipei. Since shedding one-party rule, Taiwan has achieved commendable democratic progress. It experienced political struggle during the long process of democratization between 1986 and 1995. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/20 20:23:28

The candidates for the Taiwanese elections officially started their campaigns with a televised debate early this month. The debate Saturday is the last of the three televised debates. It is the first time Taiwan has introduced televised debate into the leadership election, which is seen as a significant step for Taiwanese democracy. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/20 20:23:32

New rules that demand users of Weibo register under their real names before being allowed to post have sparked lots of controversy.
Once the announcement was issued, the share price of Sina, China&rsquo;s largest Weibo service, fell by 11 percent early Friday but rebounded later. It is unclear how the rules will affect the development of Weibo operators. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/20 20:18:31

The Beijing municipal government announced Friday that, within the next three months, Chinese Weibo (microblogging) services would require real-name identification. Source: Global Times | 2011/12/20 20:18:29

People often remark that the price of goods is soaring like an eagle, but the official CPI data, which measures inflation, is creeping like a tortoise. These discrepancies are nothing new - when housing prices were skyrocketing, official statistics claimed that housing prices had only increased 1.5 percent from the previous year. Source: Global Times | 2011/11/7 22:55:00

I read on a microblog the other day that it is dangerous to be an extremist country. The author argues that people will shun it as they will shun an extreme person, and that China needs friends. He accuses people who want to use China's military might to guard its business of being stuck in an imperialist 19th century mentality that China suffered from when invaded by Britain during the opium wars. Source: Global Times | 2011/10/24 23:16:00

Over the recent years, China's diplomatic approach has been criticized by some as being too soft. Some scholars also urged the government to be aggressive in foreign affairs. But I believe China doesn't have to be aggressive. Sticking to its own belief and remaining calm are good enough. Source: Global Times | 2011/10/24 23:19:06

The achievements of China's reform and opening-up have attracted worldwide attention. However, in the past 30 years, market competition has simultaneously caused economic development and social polarization. Social polarization and the hatred of the rich are distinctly linked. So it is essential for Chinese government to prevent social polarization while developing the economy. Source: Global Times | 2011/9/14 10:22:45

Social polarization is the crucial barrier for China's development. But it is contra-factual to treat social polarization in China as the result of the role of the market economy in the opening-up process. Source: Global Times | 2011/9/14 10:28:28